Welcome to my new monthly feature “Book of the Month Club Selections: What Would I Choose?”! Every month, I’ll provide commentary on the books that are chosen as that month’s Book of the Month Club selections and tell you which book(s) I would choose.

Pachinko follows one Korean family through the generations, beginning in early 1900s Korea with Sunja, the prized daughter of a poor yet proud family, whose unplanned pregnancy threatens to shame them all. Deserted by her lover, Sunja is saved when a young tubercular minister offers to marry and bring her to Japan.

My Thoughts:I’ve seen this book around (by around, I mean I’ve seen other bloggers I follow mention that they’re interested in reading it), but I haven’t seen that any of them have actually read it yet. It doesn’t sound like my cup of tea, mainly due to its length and heavy subject matter (just not what I have the mental space for at the moment).

At a private East Coast college, two young women meet in art class. […] A decade later, Sharon and Mel are an award-winning animation duo, and with the release of their first full-length feature, a fearless look at Mel’s childhood, they stand at the cusp of success. […] When unexpected tragedy strikes, long-buried resentments rise to the surface, threatening their partnership—and hastening a reckoning no one sees coming.

Update: Here’s one more review from a blogger I follow (52 Books or Bust)…it’s not as positive as Susie’s and will give you a different perspective. Also, Liberty Hardy mentioned on today’s All the Books podcast that this book has a chance to be one of her favorites of the year.

Louise is a single mom, a secretary, stuck in a modern-day rut. On a rare night out, she meets a man in a bar and sparks fly. […] As Louise is drawn into David and Adele’s orbit, she uncovers more puzzling questions than answers. The only thing that is crystal clear is that something in this marriage is very, very wrong, but Louise can’t guess how wrong―and how far a person might go to protect their marriage’s secrets.

My Thoughts:This twisty psychological thriller has been compared to Gone Girl and The Girl on the Train (seriously, when will publishers get sick of these comparisons?!) and apparently has a controversial ending that people will be talking about. Beth Fish Reads, a blogger I follow, shared these thoughts on it. If you like psychological thrillers and/or want to be a part of the conversation about that ending, this one might be a good choice for you.

When Isabelle Poole meets Dr. Preston Grind, she’s just about out of options. […] So when Dr. Grind offers her a space in The Infinite Family Project, she accepts. Housed in a spacious compound in Tennessee, she joins nine other couples, all with children the same age as her newborn son, to raise their children as one extended family. Grind’s theory is that the more parental love a child receives, the better off they are.

In this electrifying literary debut, a young woman who channels the dead for a living crosses a dangerous line when she falls in love with one of her clients, whose wife died under mysterious circumstances.

My Thoughts:This is another psychological thriller with the obligatory comparisons to Gone Girl and The Girl on the Train, BUT is also being compared to Station Eleven (review) and Margaret Atwood, which is definitely a combination I’ve never seen before. Another blogger I follow (Michelle at That’s What She Read) shared her brief thoughts about it on Monday. I’m sort of burned out on psychological thrillers and am generally skeptical of comparisons to Gone Girl and The Girl on the Train, so I probably wouldn’t choose this one.

Update: Michelle at That’s What She Read has now posted her full review.

What Book of the Month Club February 2017 selection(s) would I choose?

My choices this month would be The Animators and Perfect Little World!

For anyone unfamiliar with Book of the Month Club…

Book of the Month Club is a subscription service for people who like to try new books from a curated selection and like to read in hardcover format. Through Book of the Month Club, you can get a hardcover book for $9.99, which is generally significantly less than you’d pay in a bookstore or through Amazon. And, you get to try something new that has been vetted by one of Book of the Month Club’s well-read judges!

Sign up for any of the subscription plans below and you get to choose one of five books selected by Book of the Month Club’s panel of judges (including a surprise guest judge) for $9.99 per month. Book of the Month Club will then mail your chosen book to your house with a cute note. You also have the option to purchase additional books for $9.99 each and to skip a month if you want.

Sign up for a 1-month, 3-month, 6-month, or 12-month Book of the Month membership!(Special February Deal: get a free BOTM tote when you sign up for a 3 month membership)

Sarah Dickinson

I’m not a fan of epic, multi-generational novels. They’re just too long for me. I might have to try that thriller: Behind Her Eyes. I do love me a good thriller, altho like you I am skeptical of comparisons to Girl on the Train or Gone Girl. I won’t read the other one, since the supernatural doesn’t interest me at all.

Sarah Dickinson

Oooh fun! I currently have a 3 month subscription, so I will look forward to these each month. Alas, I decided to skip this month, although “Perfect Little World” is probably the one I would have gone with.

Sarah Dickinson

I went with Behind Her Eyes because it was one I wanted to get anyway. Two birds and all that. I was eyeballing The Animators but there is something about it that made me hesitate. I still love that cover for The Possessions way too much. I wish I loved the book as much.

Sarah Dickinson

Thanks for including my review here. I would choose Perfect Little World. From the second I heard about it I knew I was in. But i do feel it will either be great or not great at all. No in between ground. And like you, I always trust Gilmore’s suggestions.

Sarah Dickinson

I’m really pumped to read The Animators, also thanks to Susie; I wish I could be happy reading hard back books and I’d order from BOTM – ha! I just can’t handle it at nighttime when I want to read for a little while in bed with the lights off! Book lights all seem too bright and my Kindle is just perfect…oh, well. This is really fun, though, and I’m so happy to see your recommendations!

Sarah Dickinson

I’m intrigued by Perfect Little World… I think I would have to choose that one. Next choice would be Pachinko.
The book and author comparisons for The Possession have me curious, even though it doesn’t sound like a book I would normally pick up.
I like this new feature!

Sarah Dickinson

I didn’t know how the Book of the Month club worked. It sounds like a good deal for people who want to keep up with new titles. I’ve read two of this month’s — Pachinko and The Animators — and enjoyed both. Pachinko I’ve reviewed for the upcoming issue of BookBrowse. If you’re not tempted by the description, I’d say don’t bother; it’s a LONG book and can feel like a slog in places, especially when you get to the third generation of the family. The Animators, on the other hand, is entirely wonderful and I’d recommend it to pretty much anyone. I think it’ll be one of my favorites of 2017.

Sarah Dickinson

I think BOTM is a fun way to read and I love seeing their choices every month. BUT – you have to love reading hardcovers. And I prefer my Kindle 🙂 So, if you like hardcovers, then I recommend it wholeheartedly!

So glad to hear another glowing report on The Animators! I’m definitely going to pick it up sometime in the near future…but probably not right away b/c my March review schedule is jammed. And I’ll skip Pachinko…long slogs are definitely not a good fit for me at the moment.

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